Octothorpe

John is volunteering, Alison is saying “no”, and Liz read her first book!

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

Letters of comment

Alexandra Lanes (Bluesky)

Ali Baker Brown (Bluesky)

Chris Garcia (email)

Fiona Moore (Facebook)

Ivan Sinha (Facebook)

Kin-Ming Looi (Facebook)

Kev McVeigh (Facebook)

Paul Weimer (email)

Roseanna Pendlebury (Bluesky)

Scott Edelman (Bluesky)

The convention never ends

Tommy Ferguson (Facebook)

We also heard from Farah Mendlesohn, Fredrik V Coulter and Mike Scott

SMOFcon 2026: SMOFcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Nuremberg, Germany

“Nuremberg in 2028 Worldcon Bid Unveils Website” on File 770

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Kigali, Rwanda

They are withdrawing from the process

Join the “Worldcon in Africa” mailing list

Worldcon 2029: Bid for Dublin, Ireland

Fan funds

Transatlantic Fan Fund (TAFF)

Kat Templeton has announced her candidacy

Ansible #463 reported that the ballot would be online “soon”

Going Under Fan Fund (GUFF)

Nominations are now open and close on 18 February!

Picks

John: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Alison: Anbernic RG 34XXSP

Liz: There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

The SCP Foundation

Antimemetics FAQ

ROT13

Credits

Cover art: “Alison the White” by Alison Scott

Alt text: A picture of Alison with white hair, wearing a white dressing gown, and wielding a staff with a moose head. John and Liz flank her. She says “Behold! I am reborn as Alison the White!” John says “That’s a bit dramatic… it’s only a haircut” and Liz says “Pretty sure that’s a dressing gown… and are you standing on a box?” The words Octothorpe 153 are at the top.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is summarising, Alison is eating, and it’s all Liz.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode:

Letters of comment

Ali Baker Brooks (Bluesky)

Chris Garcia (email)

Duncan MacGregor (Bluesky, Mastodon)

Farah Mendlesohn (email, Facebook)

Jonathan Baddeley (Facebook)

Henry Balen (email)

Ivan Sinha (Facebook)

Kev McVeigh (Facebook)

Mike Scott (Facebook)

Raj (Mastodon)

Ron Payne (Bluesky)

Scott Edelman (Bluesky)

Shi Lala (Facebook)

We also heard from Kin-Ming Looi and Steve Lockley

Worldcon 2028: Bid for Brisbane

They have a sweet new logo

The land acknowledgement at the 2022 Hugo Award ceremony from the Chi Nations Youth Council

Eastercon 2025: Reconnect in Belfast

Financial report

Greg Ketter of DreamHaven Books in Minneapolis has gone viral

Picks

John: Miniature Worlds: Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter

Alison: Titan

Liz: Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Credits

Cover art: “Be Prepared” by Alison Scott

Alt text: John’s head and shoulders appear behind a pinkish desk as if he is the puppeteer of Sooty and Sweep (Americans, ask your British friends). Sooty is pulling on Sweep’s ear. Text at the top reads “Octothorpe 152: John is preparing for the big dust-up”.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is trying, Alison is watching a video and Liz is humming.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Global inequality (letters of comment), harassment (Montreal discussion)

Letters of comment

Christopher J Garcia (email)

“Kenya: Where Can You See Lions?”

Darin Briskman (see below)

Fredrick V Coulter (Facebook)

Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky)

Jake Casella Brookins (Bluesky) and España Sheriff

“Barbarella Meets the Matmos”

Lilian Edwards (Facebook)

Meg MacDonald (Facebook)

Paul Weimer (email)

Renay (see below)

Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)

Tommy Ferguson (emails)

We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Brina Nisbet, Farah Mendlesohn, Ivan Sinha, Kev McVeigh, Mike Scott

Smofcon 42

I’ve mirrored all the Q&As on my own Dropbox because I’m grumpy

Worldcon 2027: Montréal

They got a website!

The organisation chart

A list of blogs on the René Walling harassment incident

Genevieve Valentine’s original report

Worldcon 2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles

Join by 31 January to nominate in the Hugo Awards

Hugo Awards

Renay (of the fanzine Intergalactic Mixtape) has written a great guide on how to participate in the Hugo Awards

“Anyone Can Vote in the Hugo Awards — And Here’s How” by Molly Templeton on Reactor

“I Bet You Didn’t This Was Hugo-Eligible: Some of My 2025 Picks” by Kat Kourbeti

The Last War in Albion

Picks

John: The Umbrella Academy

Alison: KPop Demon Hunters

Liz: Astronomy Photographer of the Year

The winning photograph

Credits

Cover art: “Three Lions Relaxing” by Liz Batty

Alt text: Three lions photographed on a safari in Kenya, with glasses photoshopped onto two of them to make them look very slightly more like John and Alison. The top has words reading “Octothorpe 151” and the bottom has words reading “Definitely not about the cricket”. It is unclear why, because John edited all the cricket out.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John doesn’t want to pass out, Alison is a wuss, but Liz doesn’t think it’s gratuitous.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: Gore and vampirism (Liz’s pick)

Letters of comment

Chris Garcia (email)

Fredrik Coulter (Facebook)

Ivan Sinha (email)

Nicholas Whyte (email)

Paul Weimer (email)

Roseanna Pendlebury (email)

Tammy Coxen (Bluesky)

We also heard from Ali Baker Brooks, Farah Mendlesohn, Kev McVeigh, and Mike Scott

Chris Barkley got his Hugo Award!

Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden

The Q&A

Videos of the Q&A on YouTube

Kayla Allen notes on File 770 that the sound is very poor in places

Smofcon 2026: Smofcon 43 in Lisbon, Portugal

The Worldcons that presented:

2026: LAcon V in Los Angeles, USA

2027: Montreal, Canada

2028:

Brisbane, Australia

Nuremberg, Germany

Kigali, Rwanda

2029: Dublin, Ireland

2030: Edmonton, Canada

2031: Texas, USA

2032: Nantes, France

Nantes Utopiales

2033: No interest

2034: Glasgow, Scotland

Vision statement

2035: Poland

Unknown: Czechia

Festival Fantazie

Picks

John: Your Wish is My Command by Deena Mohamed

Alison: The Lost Nose by John Sladek

Sort of collected in Maps: The Uncollected John Sladek by John Sladek

Liz: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Credits

Cover art: “Alison is Still Obsessed with Ukuleles” by Alison Scott

Alt text: A Mahalo Flying V, an Uma Blue Pineapple, and a Brunswick soprano are hanging on a Christmas tree beneath the words “Octothorpe 150”.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is going to Smofcon, Alison has FOMO, and Liz is a horrible person.

An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Bluesky or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media.

Content warnings this episode: None

Letters of comment

Andreas Davour (email)

Chris Garcia (email)

Ed Morland (BlueSky on 147, 148)

Cyclo-cross

Mathmo.org

Emily January (email)

Karen Schaffer (email)

Literal antivirus

Paul Weimer (email)

Centrale Montemartini

We also heard from Alan Fleming, Ali Baker Brooks, Andrew Thompson, Brian Nisbet, Bridget Bradshaw, DC, Duncan MacGregor, Ivan Sinha, Jan Harley, Kev McVeigh, Malcolm Hutchison, Mike Scott, Neil Ottenstein, Shi Lala, and Tommy Ferguson

Famous Belgians: Simon Stevin

Smofcon 2025: Smofcon 42 in Stockholm, Sweden

Smofcon Q&As

Salute of the Jugger

How to stream it in the UK

John would like to thank Glasgow 2024 for a travel bursary allowing him to attend!

Novacon 2026: Novacon 55 in Buxton

Una McCormack

Picks

John: The Truman Show

Alison: Pluribus

Liz: The Summer War by Naomi Novik

Credits

Cover art: ”Archaeologists“ by Alison Scott

Alt text: John and Alison, dressed in clothes reminiscent of The Mummy, look down some stairs upon Liz’s tomb, in which her skeleton still holds her Hugo Award, framed by stonework. The words “Octothorpe 149” appear at the top of the image.

Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)